More than two years after a Lawrence man was accused of threatening a couple with a hatchet near the former city-run camp for people experiencing homelessness, a jury found him not guilty Thursday.
Brandon Snow, 34, was originally charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charges stemmed from an altercation near the former camp in North Lawrence. The case drew a lot of media attention at the time.
Steve Evans and his wife, April Evans, went to the land near the former city-sanctioned campsite behind Johnny’s Tavern to take photos on July 15, 2023, believing that the city had allowed camp residents to stay on property owned by the Kaw Valley Drainage District.
Both Evanses testified that Snow had run from the camp toward them with a hatchet in his hand, and that as he neared them, he held the hatchet over his head.
April said she ran in the other direction. Steve, who had been walking back toward April and was looking in the opposite direction, said as soon as he turned around and looked at Snow, Snow had dropped the hatchet. Both Evanses said they had feared for their lives.
Judge Stacey Donovan found during Snow’s June 2024 preliminary hearing that there was probable cause to bind him over for trial on the count against April, but not the other count.
Snow told this publication around the time of the incident that people at the camp had been upset that Steve was taking photos, and Snow was frustrated that city staff members working at the campsite had not intervened, so he had gone to see what Steve was doing himself.
Snow said he had borrowed the hatchet from a friend for protection because he didn’t know who the people were, but when he realized that the couple were not a threat to him, he dropped the hatchet.
The case went to a jury trial Wednesday, and the jury found him not guilty of the remaining sole charge on Thursday afternoon, according to a brief news release from the Douglas County district attorney’s office.
Joseph Falls represented Snow during his preliminary hearing. Defense attorney Razmi Tahirkheli represented him for his trial.
Note: This post has been corrected from a previous version.
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